A Redditor has claimed that Microsoft employees are monitoring the site and posting positive comments concerning their next console, the Xbox One.

The user commented "Just thought I'd share something interesting that happened to me this week. I work for a marketing firm in Redmond that has a contract with Microsoft. I can't say specifically which division, but suffice it to say we are not involved with the Xbox."

During a tour the marketing firm was given of Microsoft's complex "We had a semi-formal meeting in one of the larger meeting rooms, followed by lunch and some more touring. At one point we visited one of the Xbox officies, and our guide went off to find a particular manager for us to meet. He was gone for a while, se we were left hanging in the middle of a fairly hectic office for several minutes.

"Just nearby were two guys chatting at one of their PCs, and they caught my attention because they were on Reddit! I realized they were actually talking business."

The Reddit user says the Microsoft employees discussed getting hits on some of their submissions and decided that they should spend the vast majority of their time on Reddit's main gaming forum, /r/gaming. According to the claims the Microsoft employees were downvoting comments en masse and posting positive comments concerning Xbox One.

According to the Redditor's manager Microsoft have just hired a large number of PR staff to perform 'reputation management' for Xbox One. As the name suggests, reputation management essentially involves putting out a good front about a product or company.

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There's no way to verify these claims but they're pretty damning if true.

Last night, Microsoft detailed controversial measures relating to online connectivity and used games for Xbox One. Microsoft has cancelled it's E3 media roundtable and one-on-one interviews with their executives next week.

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